
Partner, Financial Advisor
Thad Gilliam, CFA, CFP®
Education
- M.S. Personal Financial Planning, Georgia State University
- B.B.A. Finance, magna cum laude, University of Georgia
Designations
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
Affiliations
- Financial Planning Association (FPA)
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
- CFA Institute
- BNI Decatur
What events led you to this career?
I studied finance at UGA, but most of it was corporate based finance. I happened to intern with a wealth management firm the summer before my senior year and loved it. It combined the technical side of finance/investments with the more personal side of counseling and coaching clients. That's when I decided to be a financial planner.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I love getting to be an advocate for people. In the US, the average person has a hard time developing wealth - that's likely a combo of poor personal decisions and bad advice (from the media, from financial salesmen, etc.). I love pointing people in the right financial direction and leading them to create freedom and flexibility in their lives - Seeing my clients benefit from good decisions is very rewarding.
Clientele:
I work with a diverse group of individual and families. The most numerous are business owners and busy professionals/corporate employees. I know what it's like to be busy and trying to accomplish many goals. I enjoy helping these folks by taking financial tasks off their plate.
Family Info:
My wife, Krista, and I have lived in Decatur, GA since 2007. We love our neighborhood and hope to stay there for a long time. We have three kids (Liesel, Ingrid, and Fritz) who keep us on our toes! At our stage of life, we love going to an early dinner with the kids, and going home to have the luxury of watching a movie 🙂
What are your interests outside of work?
My favorite hobby is running - especially trail running. I've gotten to run several marathons over the years and few ultra marathons. My favorite race is probably either the Leadville 100 or the Boston Marathon. If I'm not running, I love to whitewater kayak or tackle carpentry projects when time permits. One of my life goals is to sail around the world when I'm older, so I jump at any opportunity to get on a sailboat!